1. FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to furniture which is supported in a standing condition by propping the furniture against a wall. Legs are provided on one side of the furniture, and inclination which would otherwise allow the furniture to topple on the unsupported side is opposed by the wall. The furniture is assembled by interlocking component parts without the use of fasteners, adhesives, and the like.
2. DESCRIPTION OF THE PRIOR ART
Practicality of furniture and its assembly have been advancing over many years. One area of improvement of these aspects has been to minimize the number of parts and components. Another area of improvement, particularly with respect to assembly and disassembly, has been to eliminate the use of hand tools.
A specific area of focus of quickly erected and dismantled furniture, hereinafter referred to as knockdown furniture, has been that of shelving. An example of free standing shelving is provided in U.S. Pat. No. 4,099,472, issued to Harlan F. Kellogg on Jul. 11, 1978. Each shelf panel includes a section cut from each corner, similarly to the present invention. However, final assembly of Kellogg's furniture relies upon tightening vertical legs onto threaded studs formed integrally therein. In the present invention, no threaded fasteners are employed. Kellogg provides conventional leg layout including front and rear legs. By contrast, in the present invention, only the front of the furniture has legs contacting the floor.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,115,924, issued to Jochen Konig on May 26, 1992, describes a shelving system wherein vertical posts clamp to the shelves by threaded clamps. As in the case of Kellogg, Konig's invention has threaded members absent in the present invention. Konig's shelving is also conventional, having front and rear legs.
A shelf which is supported on lateral vertical surfaces is seen in U.S. Pat. No. 5,221,013, issued to Donald G. Santucci on Jun. 22, 1993. However, this invention locks in place by bearing resiliently upon surrounding vertical surfaces, and does not contact the floor or other horizontal surface. By contrast, the present invention has legs for supporting itself partially upon a floor. Also, the present invention does not rely upon expanding against two opposed surfaces.
A frequently employed peg and groove attachment scheme is seen in U.S. Pat. No. 3,784,025, issued to Joseph P. Dumit on Jan. 8, 1974. To both support weight above a floor and also to resist a moment, two pegs must engage respective grooves. By contrast, peg and groove interfitting is not employed to resist a moment in the present invention. Also, the assembled furniture of Dumit includes vertical support at front and rear. By contrast, all vertical support of the present invention occurs only at the front.
Furniture having a tabletop and a spaced apart, parallel shelf is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 3,869,993, issued to Walter W. Edlund on Mar. 11, 1975. The shelf is lowered onto the legs of the furniture, which have a step formed for stopping the shelf and maintaining it in place. By contrast, shelves of the present invention are slid laterally into engagement with the legs. Edlund also has front and rear legs, as opposed to the present invention, wherein there are only legs in the front.
None of the above inventions and patents, taken either singly or in combination, is seen to describe the instant invention as claimed.